BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Senator Carol Liu, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: AB 1361
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|Author: |Burke |
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|Version: |May 20, 2015 Hearing |
| |Date: June 24, 2015 |
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|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |Yes |
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|Consultant:|Olgalilia Ramirez |
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Subject: Student financial aid: Cal Grant Program: veterans
SUMMARY
This bill exempts a current or former member of the Armed Forces
of the United States, unless the individual received a
dishonorable discharge, from the age limitations of the
California Community College (CCC) Transfer Cal Grant
Entitlement Program.
BACKGROUND
Existing law establishes the Cal Grant program, administered by
the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC), to provide tuition
and access cost assistance to eligible students attending
qualified institutions. The CCC Transfer Entitlement Awards
provide Cal Grant A and B awards to every student who graduated
from a California high school after June 30, 2000, was a
California resident at the time of high school graduation,
transferred to a qualifying baccalaureate-degree granting
institution from a CCC during the award year, was under the age
of 28 at the time of the transfer, and had a minimum California
Community College grade point average (GPA) of 2.4.
(Education Code § 69432)
Additionally, maximum award amounts for California State
University (CSU) and University of California (UC) are
established in the annual Budget Act and have traditionally
covered all system wide tuition and fees. The maximum tuition
award for Cal Grant A and B for students attending private
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for-profit colleges is $4,000 (commencing 2013-14), and for
students attending non-profit or Western Association of Schools
and Colleges (WASC)-accredited for-profit institutions is $8,056
(commencing 2015-16). (EC § 69432)
ANALYSIS
This bill:
1)Exempts a current or former member of the Armed forces of the
United States, unless the individual received a dishonorable
discharge, from the age limitations of the California
Community College (CCC) Transfer Cal Grant Entitlement
Program.
2)Requires an institution to ensure that it does not accept award
funds under both this section and United States Code Title 38
in the same award year for a current or former member of the
Armed Forces of the United States who is 28 years of age or
older.
STAFF COMMENTS
1)Need for the bill. Current law requires a student to be under
the age of 28 years old in order to be eligible for the
California Community College Transfer Entitlement (Transfer
Entitlement). According to the author, this age eligibility
requirement presents a barrier for veterans who as a result of
their time in the service, attend college later in life, tend
to be older and are more likely to support a family while
enrolled in school. The California Community College
Chancellor's Office reports that approximately 27,000 of
veterans attending California Community Colleges (CCC) are
over the age of 30. This bill seeks to allow veterans greater
access to higher education by removing the age requirement in
order to qualify for the Transfer Entitlement Award.
2)The Community College Transfer Entitlement Program. The Transfer
Entitlement award was structured to provide the same guarantee
of the Cal Grant eligibility to California students who start
at community college and transfer to a four year college or
university some years later, as the Cal Grant Entitlement
program provides high school students entering directly into
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four year college or university maximum award amounts.
The Transfer Entitlement award provides for full fees at CCC,
California State University (CSU) and the University of
California (UC), as well as tuition support at private
California colleges and universities. For veterans 28 years or
older this bill would provide a new education benefit that
otherwise would not have been available. Particularly for
veteran students who have exhausted GI bill eligibility.
3)Other tuition benefits for veterans. Veterans may access various
education benefit programs through the federal government.
Most commonly known, the federal Montgomery GI Bill provides
active-duty service members and veterans a monthly tax-free
benefit to be used for tuition, books, fees, and living
expenses while earning an undergraduate or graduate degree, or
attending trade school. The GI bill could provide veteran
students up to $20,000 (approximately) in education benefits
for the 2015-16 academic year.
The federal government is the last payer if the state offers
an equivalent tuition benefit to veterans. As such, this bill
specifies that a veteran cannot use both sources within the
same academic year. A student would need to choose when to use
either award in order to maximize the expanded benefit
provided by provisions in this bill.
4)Prior Legislation.
AB 303 (Calderon, 2014) would have entitled an otherwise
eligible veteran to a Cal Grant A Entitlement Award or a Cal
Grant B Entitlement Award. AB 303 was pulled from the Assembly
Higher Education committee at the request of the chair.
SUPPORT
California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office
California School Employees Association
California Student Aid Commission
Community College League of California
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OPPOSITION
None received.
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